I've been thinking a lot about Gratitude this week. I've been feeling particularly blessed and surprised by the numerous connections I'm making these days. Old but not forgotten friends popping back into my life and new ones at every turn. I feel like I passed some kind of friendship test and now the rewards are flowing to me. I can't feel anything but grateful for this. There is one particular reason why that I'd like to share.
I used to dream of being surrounded by intelligent, artistic people. The life of an artist can be one of isolation, if the artist chooses it to be. Some might spend their entire life exploring themselves so closely that they fail to notice the magic going on around them. I reached a time in my own artistic process where I felt like I really didn't belong anywhere. I was feeling quite marginalized every time I'd return home to my core group of friends whose lives were progressing along in a 'normal' fashion. They were growing out of me and I was growing out of them. But at the same time, living the life of a musical vagabond at the time, while introducing me to a plethora of interesting people, didn't allow for long term friendships to develop. Only because....and here is my point:
We did not have the technology that we have today.
Some of those prior friends have come back to me, and even some of those fleeting connections made on the road, but I'd like to think it's not because we're old friends - it's because we're friends period. If we just met today, we would be friends. The key reason they are back in my life is because they were able to find me through Google or Facebook or Twitter - so how GRATEFUL am I? Overflowing with gratitude.
But then there are the new friends...friends I have hand picked for their random tweets that caught my eye on Twitter, or a comment someone made on a forum that made me think about something differently. New friends I've met through new friends. Amazing really.
I am surrounded by the purest of souls, the most creative minds and the most talented of people. I sit inspired and I am grateful for your friendship.
With gratitude for connecting,
Carrie